Once Upon a Time
by naluislife247
Summary: This is a story of a child growing up neglected and isolated until one fateful day she makes the most unlikeliest of friends.
1. Chapter 1

Once Upon A Time

Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a little princess with hair that of gold and amber eyes, skin as soft as silk and white as pearls; indeed, she was a beautiful creation. However, she was a sickly little girl, falling ill every winter for long periods of time. Her parents, who loved her dearly, would lock her away in the left wing of the palace forbidding her to take a single step outside. Such a lonely girl was she to be shut out from the world with no one to play with, her only joy came in the fairy tales she read. Tales of dragons and princesses, princes going to war for the one they loved, a team of friends working together to slay a monster. Mythical creatures, adventures, the unknown, all of these were what she loved. Quite frequently, maids would find the little princess sneaking into the library when she was supposed to be working on studies.

10 years pass and it's her 16th birthday, _nothing special_ , she thought to herself. After all her birthdays were always the same: a dance with her father, a book from her mother, and a promise to see her next year. Sure enough, her parents appeared, and she danced gracefully alongside her father as her mother played the piano. It was as if her body moved in autopilot, doing everything correctly without thinking. For a moment she wondered if she was a doll, a toy that always obeys and smiles, wearing the same dress for most of its existence.

Her mother smiles and hands her a book, not even wrapped, for her birthday before patting her on the head and kissing her forehead before the couple leaves their princess alone. The doors shut with almost an echo, oh how her parents loved her so.

The princess looks down to the book in her hands, it was bound in leather with faded gold trimming, the book looked worn down from use and had a distinct old book smell to it. Large letters spelt the word END in black print. She'd heard of this book before, the one who it allows to open becomes forever bound to it. That was strange, why would her parents give her such a thing? Wasn't END a demon and not a book? Being sensible she takes the book to the library and leaves it there before locking the library doors, not wanting to associate herself with a demon and hurt that her mother gave it to her. They certainly never spoiled her, everyone, save a select few maids had left for fear of catching her illness, many even believed it was a curse of some kind. She may hold the title of a princess, but the fair maiden taught herself how to cook and clean, the maids only helped when she couldn't get out of bed. Beauty gave her nothing but pity and rumors of that poor unfortunate princess.

Getting out of her ball gown and into a softer, lighter dress she climbs into her bed and like every night on her birthday, she cries.


	2. Chapter 2

An earthy smell permeated the library, reminding him of rotting wood. A black smoke crept out of the pages of End's book, embers crackling down the table and onto the floor before bursting into flame. The fire took on a life of its own, stretching and pulling upwards, combining and twisting into a human form before fading into smoke. The man brushed the ash off his skin, disgruntled at the burn marks on his coat and scarf. His wings hurt from a lack of flying and his fire was weak for being unused. Everyone thought End was bound to the book, which in a way he was, but no one knew he could come out of it on his own.

The demon took in his surroundings, finding it strange that a library reeked of earth and not dust. Picking up his book, he makes his way around this labyrinth of a library, searching for what was essential. Ah, a history book, just what he needed. Flipping through the book causes an agitation as the language is radically different from his own. He couldn't read this! Time spent in the book of End was different to time outside of it, sometimes what felt like days to him would be years to people. This history book was supposed to tell the history of the area, the time period, the economy. Instead it was filled with strange symbols the likes of which he's never seen.

It just had to be written in a foreign language. There was no Spanish or Latin, not even Portuguese. It didn't matter though, the demon simply burned the book to ashes and made his way to the doors of the library. He would simply have to discover things claws on this time. The doors led to a damp hallway, musty lines of filth in the corners of the brick walls. There were no torches, he noticed, as he walked down the hall. The further he strayed from the library, the weaker the scent of earth became. At the first left turn of the hallway the man came across two large oak doors. They were pristine and polished, roses and woodland creatures carved into the dark wood. The book in his arms burns slightly as if to give warning, even the demon himself knew what lie behind these doors: a new master. The one who touched his book and placed it in that wretched library was just beyond these doors.

Of course this was all in retrospect, most masters became pets or servants depending on their nature. He could kill them as well so long as they didn't bind the book, this one should die easily. All of these wooden decorations made for an ample supply of kindling, in fact he could incinerate this building in an instant. The demon smiles at this, that would be fun. But it isn't satisfying if he can't witness the horror in his 'master's' eyes.

 _I wonder if this one will beg._

Placing both claws on the massive doors they burst into pieces almost instantly causing a scream to erupt from inside the room. A pale young woman gathers her blankets closer to her body, terrified at the sight of the man before her. END is about to say something witty before killing her but she soon erupts into a coughing fit; her strawlike hair covering her face as the onslaught continues. It wasn't rocket science to know she was sick, killing her wouldn't be satisfying at all.

 _What a disappointment._


End file.
